Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A network controller communicably coupled between Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) circuitry and one or more networks external to the network controller, the network controller comprising: a transmitter coupled between the BMC circuitry and the one or more networks, the transmitter to transmit packets received from the BMC circuitry to at least one of the one or more networks, the transmitter having a low power idle state; a buffer to store the packets received from the BMC circuitry prior to transmission by the transmitter to the one or more networks, the buffer including a first high watermark and a low watermark; and buffer manager circuitry to send a first command to the BMC circuitry in response to receiving one or more packets from the BMC circuitry when the transmitter is in the low power idle state, the first command to reduce a transmission rate of packets from the BMC circuitry to the buffer.
A network controller sits between a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) and external networks. It has a transmitter to send packets from the BMC to the networks. The transmitter can go into a low-power idle state. A buffer stores the packets before they're transmitted, and this buffer has a high and low watermark. The controller also has a buffer manager. When the transmitter is idle and the buffer receives packets from the BMC, the buffer manager tells the BMC to slow down its transmission rate. This prevents the buffer from overflowing when the transmitter is slow to wake up.
2. The network controller of claim 1 , the buffer manager circuitry to further send a second command to the BMC circuitry when the transmitter is not in the low power idle state, and a buffer fill level is less than the low watermark, the second command to increase the transmission rate of packets from the BMC circuitry to the buffer.
In addition to the functionality described above, the network controller's buffer manager sends a command to the BMC to *increase* the rate at which it sends packets to the buffer. This happens when the transmitter is NOT in a low-power idle state AND the amount of data in the buffer is below a defined "low watermark." This ensures the buffer doesn't run dry and keeps the network busy.
3. The network controller of claim 2 , the buffer manager circuitry to further send the first command to the BMC circuitry when the buffer fill level is greater than a the first high watermark, the first high watermark indicative of a relatively greater buffer fill level than the low watermark.
Continuing from the previous description, the buffer manager also sends a command to the BMC to *reduce* the rate at which it sends packets. This occurs when the amount of data in the buffer exceeds a "high watermark". The high watermark represents a greater fill level than the low watermark. This prevents the buffer from overflowing due to high BMC data rates and keeps memory usage stable.
4. The network controller of claim 1 wherein the BMC circuitry is configured to monitor a status of a host system hardware.
In the described network controller, the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) is configured to monitor the status of the host system hardware. This means the BMC is watching things like temperature, fan speeds, and voltage levels. It then sends information about these parameters as packets to the network controller, which implements flow control as described in previous claims.
5. The network controller of claim 1 wherein the transmitter low power idle state corresponds to a low power idle state defined by IEEE standard IEEE Std 802.3Az™—2010 and compatible or later versions of this standard.
In the network controller, the transmitter's low-power idle state specifically refers to the low-power idle state defined in the IEEE 802.3az standard (Energy Efficient Ethernet) or later versions. This standard defines how network devices can reduce power consumption when there is no data to transmit, and this invention relates to managing buffer flow control when the transmitter is waking up from that low power state.
6. A method, comprising: sending, by buffer management circuitry, a first command to baseboard management controller (BMC) circuitry in response to receiving, at a buffer, one or more packets from the BMC circuitry when a transmitter coupled between the buffer and one or more networks is in a low power idle state, the BMC circuitry to monitor a status of a host system hardware, the first command to reduce a transmission rate of packets from the BMC circuitry to the buffer, and the one or more networks disposed external to a network controller that includes the BMC circuitry, the buffer, and the transmitter.
A method for controlling data flow involves a buffer management system. This system monitors a buffer that sits between a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) and a network transmitter. The BMC is responsible for monitoring host hardware status. When the transmitter is in a low-power idle state and the buffer receives data from the BMC, the buffer management system sends a command back to the BMC. This command instructs the BMC to reduce the rate at which it sends data to the buffer, preventing buffer overflow. The network is external to the host.
7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising: sending, by the buffer management circuitry, a second command to the BMC circuitry when the transmitter is not in the low power idle state, and a buffer fill level is less than a low watermark, the second command to increase the transmission rate of packets from the BMC circuitry to the buffer.
The method described above is extended to include a second command. When the transmitter is *not* in a low-power idle state, and the buffer's fill level is below a low watermark, the buffer management circuitry sends a command to the BMC to *increase* its data transmission rate to the buffer. This ensures that the buffer has enough data when the link is active.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising: sending, by the buffer management circuitry, the first command to the BMC circuitry when the buffer fill level is greater than a first high watermark, the first high watermark indicative of a relatively greater buffer fill level than the low watermark.
Building upon the previous flow control methods, this adds a further control. If the amount of data in the buffer rises above a "high watermark," the buffer management circuitry sends the original "reduce transmission rate" command to the BMC. The high watermark represents a buffer fill level higher than the low watermark, providing hysteresis to the flow control loop.
9. The method of claim 6 wherein the transmitter low power idle state corresponds to a low power idle state defined by IEEE standard IEEE Std 802.3Az™—2010 and compatible or later versions of this standard.
In the method described above, the transmitter's low-power idle state conforms to the IEEE 802.3az standard (Energy Efficient Ethernet) or subsequent versions. Thus, the invention focuses on flow control specifically in scenarios where the network link is in a low-power mode as defined by this industry standard.
10. A host system comprising: baseboard management controller (BMC) circuitry; and network controller circuitry communicably coupled between the BMC circuitry and one or more networks external to the host system, the network controller circuitry including: a transmitter coupled between the BMC circuitry and the one or more networks, the transmitter to transmit packets received from the BMC circuitry to at least one of the one or more networks, the transmitter having a low power idle state; a buffer to store the packets received from the BMC circuitry prior to transmission by the transmitter to the one or more networks, the buffer including a first high watermark and a low watermark; and buffer manager circuitry to send a first command to the BMC circuitry in response to receiving one or more packets from the BMC circuitry when the transmitter is in the low power idle state, the first command to reduce a transmission rate of packets from the BMC circuitry to the buffer.
A host system includes a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) and a network controller. The network controller manages communication between the BMC and external networks. It contains a transmitter with a low-power idle state, a buffer to store packets with high and low watermarks, and buffer management circuitry. When the transmitter is in a low-power idle state, the buffer manager tells the BMC to slow down its transmission rate to avoid buffer overflow during the transmitter's transition out of the low-power state.
11. The host system of claim 10 , the buffer manager circuitry to further send a second command to the BMC circuitry when the transmitter is not in the low power idle state, and a buffer fill level is less than the low watermark, the second command to increase the transmission rate of packets from the BMC circuitry to the buffer.
This host system extends the previous one with further flow control. The buffer manager tells the BMC to *increase* its transmission rate when the transmitter isn't in a low-power idle state and the buffer fill level is below the low watermark. This ensures the buffer is sufficiently populated for active transmission.
12. The host system of claim 11 , the buffer manager circuitry to further send the first command to the BMC circuitry when the buffer fill level is greater than the first high watermark, the first high watermark indicative of a relatively greater buffer fill level than the low watermark.
Expanding on the host system description, the buffer manager will also tell the BMC to *reduce* its transmission rate when the buffer's fill level exceeds the high watermark. This is again for managing buffer capacity, ensuring it doesn't overflow.
13. The host system of claim 10 , the BMC circuitry to monitor a status of a host system hardware.
In this host system, the Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) monitors the hardware status of the host system, collecting telemetry such as temperatures and fan speeds. This data is then communicated through the network controller, which manages the flow control as described previously.
14. The host system of claim 10 wherein the transmitter low power idle state corresponds to a low power idle state defined by IEEE standard IEEE Std 802.3Az™—2010 and compatible or later versions of this standard.
Within the described host system, the transmitter's low-power idle state adheres to the IEEE 802.3az (Energy Efficient Ethernet) standard or later compatible revisions, specifying that the flow control mechanisms are intended to optimize performance when transitioning to/from this standardized low-power mode.
15. A system comprising, one or more non-transitory storage mediums having stored thereon, individually or in combination, instructions that when executed by one or more processors result in the following operations comprising: sending, by buffer management circuitry, a first command to baseboard management controller (BMC) circuitry in response to receiving, at a buffer, one or more packets from the BMC circuitry when a transmitter coupled between the buffer and one or more networks is in a low power idle state, the BMC circuitry to monitor a status of a host system hardware, the first command to reduce a transmission rate of packets from the BMC circuitry to the buffer, and the one or more networks disposed external to a network controller that includes the BMC circuitry, the buffer, and the transmitter.
A non-transitory storage medium contains instructions. When executed, these instructions cause a system to perform operations related to flow control. Specifically, the system sends a command to a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) to reduce its transmission rate to a buffer. This occurs when a network transmitter (connected to the buffer) is in a low-power idle state, and the buffer is receiving data from the BMC. The BMC is monitoring host hardware status, and the buffer and transmitter are part of a network controller connected to external networks.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the instructions that when executed by one or more processors results in the following additional operations: sending, by buffer management circuitry, a second command to the BMC circuitry when the transmitter is not in the low power idle state, and a buffer fill level is less than a low watermark, the second command to increase the transmission rate of packets from the BMC circuitry to the buffer.
In addition to the above instructions, the storage medium contains further instructions. These instructions cause the system to send a second command to the BMC, telling it to *increase* its transmission rate. This command is issued when the transmitter is *not* in a low-power idle state, and the buffer's fill level is below a defined "low watermark," ensuring adequate data availability for transmission.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the instructions that when executed by one or more processors results in the following additional operations: Sending, by the buffer management circuitry, the first command to the BMC circuitry when the buffer fill level is greater than a first high watermark, the first high watermark indicative of a relatively greater buffer fill level than the low watermark.
In addition to the previous instructions, the storage medium contains instructions to send the "reduce transmission rate" command to the BMC. This occurs when the buffer fill level exceeds a "high watermark," which is a higher fill level than the low watermark. This prevents the buffer from overflowing.
18. The system of claim 15 wherein the transmitter low power idle state corresponds to a low power idle state defined by IEEE standard IEEE Std 802.3Az™—2010 and compatible or later versions of this standard.
As part of the instructions stored on the non-transitory medium, the transmitter's low-power idle state is defined by the IEEE 802.3az standard (Energy Efficient Ethernet) or later versions, focusing the described flow control on systems implementing this specific power-saving standard.
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September 26, 2017
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